HISTORY OF MEXICO. 75 



flies about from one iieft to another, vifiting them all, 

 and after finging a little while, returns to its place ; while 

 the reft remain perfectly fiient. If any bird of a differ- 

 ent fpecies approaches the tree, he flies to it, and endea- 

 vours, with his bill and wings, to drive it oiF ; but if a 

 man, or any other large animal comes near, he flies 

 fcreaming to another tree, and if at that time any Ts^r 

 cuas belonging to the fame village happen to be return- 

 ing from the flelds, he meets them, and changing his 

 note, obliges them to retire again : as foon as he per- 

 ceives the danger over, he returns happy to his wonted 

 round of vifi ting the nefts. Thefe obfervations upon the 

 Tzacua, made by a man of penetration, learning, and 

 veracity (h)^ fhould make us expeft to find fome things 

 ftill more extraordinary in thefe birds, if the obfervations 

 were repeated ; but we mufl: now leave thefe pleafant 

 objecls, and turn our eyes upon fome that are of the moft 

 difagreeable kind. 



The reptiles of Mexico may be reduced to two orders 

 or claflTes ; namely, the four-footed, and the apodes or 

 thofe without feet (/). In the firft clafs are crocodiles, 

 lizards, frogs, and toads : in the fecond all kinds of fer 

 pents. 



The Mexican crocodiles refemble the African in flze, 

 form, voracity, way of living, and in all the other pecu- 

 liarities of their charafter. They abound in many of 

 the lakes and rivers in the hot countries, and deftroy men 

 and other animals. It would be altogether fuperfluous 



to 



{I) The Abbe D. Giufeppe Rafaelle Campoi. 



(i) I am perfedlly aware of the variety of opinions entertained by different 

 authors, with refpe<5l to the animals which ought to be claffed among the rep- 

 tiles : but as I do not undertake to give an exa<Sl arrangement, but merely to 

 prefeut them in fome order to the reader, I take the term of HeJ/tikj in the fan^ 

 jfenfe in which it was commonly underftood of old. 



